A Breach of Imperial Etiquette

 

Enjoying the cherry blossoms in Japan is a yearly event that the Japanese and visitors look forward to every Spring

Foreign Guests Violate Tokyo's Court Etiquette

Failure of several foreign guests to remove their overcoats in the presence of Emperor Hirohito at a cherry blossom festival was construed today by official Japanese sources as a breach of etiquette against the throne.

Some of the guests, they complained, kept their overcoats on despite signs posted in the imperial gardens prohibiting such apparel. Others, they said, wore "street clothes" instead of the prescribed formal afternoon dress.

Helen Keller, called “The Miracle Woman” by the Japanese, in tribute to her triumph over blindness, deafness and muteness, attended the opening of the historic cherry blossom festival. —The New York Times, April 1937

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia